Pneumatic tube stations



Dec. 28, 1965 K. SUHR 3,226,055

PNEUMATIC TUBE STATIONS Filed May 21, 1963 INVENTOR KURT SUI-IR ATTORNEY United States Patent M 3,226,055 PNEUMATIC TUBE STATIONS Kurt Suhr, Berlin-Neukolln, Germany, assignor to International Standard Electric Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed May 21, 1963, Ser. No. 281,878 Claims priority, application Germany, July 26, 1962, St 19,527 6 Claims. (Cl. 24319) This invention relates to pneumatic tube systems and more particularly to stations in systems which are able to receive carriers from either direction, dispense carriers in either direction, or let undesired carriers pass right through.

Smaller pneumatic tube systems require inexpensive pneumatic tube stations. Therefore stations may be used through which alternately a carrier can be received or dispatched. Furthermore, intermediate stations are known in which carriers, not determined for this station, pass through without stopping. Such intermediate stations are accommodated in air-tight closed cabinets or cases which are opened to dispatch or to take out carriers. This produces an inexpensive operation of such a station. All that is required is an opening in the tube from which the carrier to be received can be removed or into which the carrier to be dispatched can be placed, and an ejector for positively removing the carrier from the tube.

In known stations of this type, the opening is in the leading portion of the tube. This is undesirable as carriers which arrive at the intermediate station with a low kinetic energy (due to friction or low weight) may be stopped by the ejector and not ejected from the opening. If this occurs, an attendant must immediately remove the carrier in order to prevent a foul-up in the entire system. Using an ejector also has the disadvantage that the opening of the tube must be very long and, consequently, very long cabinets and large spaces for the station are required.

It is therefore an object of my invention to provide an inexpensive pneumatic tube station which has none of the foregoing disadavntages.

An intermediate station according to my invention is disposed in an air-tight cabinet and comprises an opening in the forwarding tube for ejecting and inserting the carriers without the disadvantages of known arrangements.

According to my invention, the forwarding tube is equipped with a bent elbow in the forwarding tube between the entrance and exit of my station, an opening in the bent elbow, and a movable cover for the opening.

The curved elbow is designed in such a way that the recess of the curve leads to one side or to the bottom so that a carrier cannot remain in the recess but must fall out of the opening in the bottom or side of the recess if the cover is open. The carrier passes through the station only when the cover is closed, because the tube elbow will deviate even a quickly moving carrier so that it will be forced towards the opening and cannot continue its run or drive in the following tube section. The airtight case guarantees that the pneumatic conditions in the tube do not essentially change when a carrier is ejected, and that preceding carriers are not impaired in their run. The case will only be opened if a carrier is to be dispatched or received and this can be done quickly so that the pneumatic conditions in the system are not greatly affected.

The above-mentioned and other features and objects of this invention will become more apparent by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a cross-sectional view of an intermediate station according to my invention;

3,226,055 Patented Dec. 28, 1965 FIGURE 2 is a side-elevational view of a tube section at the intermediate station; and

FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional view of a station in accordance with my invention.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown a for warding tube 1 enclosed in an air-tight case 2. The entrance 3 and exit 4 are hermetically sealed at their junctions of tube 1. For the sake of clarity, various elements are omitted in drawings 1 and 2. Also exit 4 is not shown in drawing 3 and either is the bent portion of tube 1 which leads to it. The symmetrical curvature of tube 1 commences at entrance 3 and ends at exit 4. The curvature of recess 5 is directed toward the bottom of case 2 and has an opening 6 disposed in its lowermost portion. Cover 7 when covering aperture 6 provides an air-tight seal. Cover 7 is mounted on a swivel arm 8 which is pivotally mounted in case 2 on bar 9. The movement of arm 3 to bring cover 7 into and out of operative relationship with opening 6 is controlled by electromagnet 10 which moves the cover away from the opening in opposition to a spring (not shown) which tends to hold cover 7 over opening 6. Door 11 provides access to case 2. Sections or portions 12 and 13 represent those areas of the forwarding tube 1 which alter the axis of travel of the carrier; one of these portions alters the carrier travel from the received axis to another axis, and the other portion returns the carrier to the original (received) axis. Portion 14 interconnects the two and provides the deposit or withdrawal opening 6. As noted earlier, the forwarding tube 1 can be mounted as shown in FIGURES 1 and 3, with the opening 6 at the bottom, or it can be rotated to present a side opening. The objects of the invention are served, equally well, with the tube mounted either way. It is to be noted, that carriers may be received from either direction, may be dispensed in either direction, or may pass through the station without interference.

While I have described above the principles of my in vention in connection with specific apparatus, it is to be clearly understood that this description is made only by way of example and not as a limitation to the scope of my invention as set forth in the objects thereof and in the accompanying claims.

I claim:

1. A pneumatic tube station for receiving carriers conveyed in either direction, for dispatching carriers in either direction, and for throughgoing passage of carriers in a forwarding tube system, comprising:

a forwarding tube for the reception and discharge of carriers, said tube having first and second portions which present, respectively, descending and ascending pathways, and a third portion interposed between said first and second portions having an opening along its lower wall portion, said opening being of a size to permit passage therethrough of said carriers;

a cover for sealing said opening to present a continuous passage;

means for moving said cover into and out of operative relationship with said opening; and

a housing enclosingsaid third portion.

2. A pneumatic tube station, according to claim 1, wherein said first and second portions are each curved in an identical convex attitude and said third portion is curved in a concave attitude.

3. A pneumatic tube station, according to claim 1, wherein said housing has an access door with means for opening and closing said door; and

wherein said cover moving means comprises an electromagnet.

4. A pneumatic tube station, according to claim 2,

wherein the curvature of each of said first and second 3 4 portions describes an are which passes through the cena housing enclosing at least said third portion; and ter of said opening. means for hermetically sealing said housing.

5. A pneumatic tube station for receiving carriers con- 6. A pneumatic tube station, according to claim 5, veyed in either direction, for dispatching carriers in either wherein the curvature of each of said first and second direction, and for throughgoing passage of carriers, in a 5 portions describes an are which passes through the center forwarding tube system, comprising: of said opening; and

a forwarding tube for the reception and discharge of wherein said moving means comprises an electrocarriers in a given axis of travel, said tube having magnet. a first curved portion which laterally alters said given axis of travel, a second curved portion which 10 References (med by the Exammer laterally re-alters carrier direction back to said given UNITED STATES PATENTS axis of travel, and a third curved portion, interposed 395,130 3 13 Given 3 between said first and second curved portions, having 417,828 12/ 1889 Leaycraft 243-23 an opening along the side Wall thereof which is 1,107,547 8/ 1914 Pearsall 243-19 farthest from said given axis, said opening being of 15 1,769,677 7/1930 Cowley 243-28 a size to permit passage therethrough of said carriers; FOREIGN PATENTS a (21:32: 8; g: sealing said opening to present a continuous 261,539 6/1913 Germany means for moving said cover into and out of operative 20 853158 11/1960 Great Bntam' relationship with said opening; SAMUEL F. COLEMAN, Primary Examiner. 

1. A PNEUMATIC TUBE STATION FOR RECEIVING CARRIERS CONVEYED IN EITHER DIRECTION, FOR DISPATCHING CARRIERS IN EITHER DIRECTION, AND FOR THROUGHGOING PASSAGE OF CARRIERS IN A FORWARDING TUBE SYSTEM, COMPRISING: A FORWARDING TUBE FOR THE RECEPTION AND DISCHARGE OF CARRIERS, SAID TUBE HAVING FIRST AND SECOND PORTIONS WHICH PRESENT, RESPECTIVELY, DESCENDING AND ASCENDING PATHWAYS, AND A THIRD PORTION INTERPOSED BETWEEN SAID FIRST AND SECOND PORTIONS HAVING AN OPENING ALONG ITS LOWER WALL PORTION, SAID OPENING BEING OF A SIZE TO PERMIT PASSAGE THERETHROUGH OF SAID CARRIERS; 